Iain Robertson and Clare Wardman - St Ives Painters

The idea of interconnectedness within the global artistic community is currently being embraced and explored by UK practitioners Iain Robertson and Clare Wardman as the first artists in residence at Wharepuke in Kerikeri. This follows an invitation from the directors of Art at Wharepuke Gallery, Tania Booth and Mark Graver, to exhibit in New Zealand the project developed into an international residency.

During the residency period they will be collaborating with Master Printmaker Mark Graver at the Wharepuke Print Studio, New Zealand’s only dedicated non toxic printmaking workshop, to develop new prints, and making works on paper to compliment major works shipped from their Porthmeor Studio in St.Ives, Cornwall.

St. Ives and the Porthmeor Studios became an important catalyst for British Modernism in the 20th Century with artists such as Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham, Patrick Heron and Ben Nicholson working from the studios and Nuam Gabo and Barbara Hepworth within the wider art community in the town.
Significantly, and as part of the inspiration for the exhibition and residency, the New Zealander Frances Hodgkins (1869-1947) was resident in Studio 7,Clare and Iain’s current studio, from 1914 to 1920. Examples of paintings from this period include, portraits ‘Loveday and Anne’1916 Oil on Canvas Tate Collection and ‘Mr and Mrs Moffat Lindner and Hope’1916 tempera on linen at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

Robertson and Wardman have collaborated on projects and shared studios since 1982 when they graduated from Exeter College of Art and design, now the University of Plymouth. Their first joint residency, in 1993 was at Grizedale Sculpture Park in the Lake District, UK where they originally met Chris Booth and his niece Tania Booth who was assisting him on a commission for the Grizedale Society.

As an Artist-Led project, this opportunity in the Bay of Islands is a unique experience to open up debate and dialogue in contemporary practice and ideas. Robertson and Wardman are very aware of the responsibility to engage with and embrace this new cultural dynamic and to explore this relationship within their work through print, in the environment and studio based work made possible by the residency venue.

Robertson explores, particularly through his Mega Jazzy multiple panel works, random association and chance within the contemporary world, driven by strength of colour and a direct approach to process. The democratic and inclusive nature of this work opens up the potential for site specific pieces within a larger context. He is currently exhibiting major works at the Poussin Gallery in London.

Wardman‘s ‘Durational’ works ask questions about the nature of the series itself -‘always living yet always about to die’. Real and implied time have been brought together in a time lapse film ‘West Heading East’ 2010 a site specific piece working with the trajectory path of natural light and shadow. In 2007 she completed a research project in The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden at the same time showing in the seminal, contemporary exhibition ‘Art Now Cornwall’ Tate St Ives.

Wharepuke Print Studio – www.nontoxic-printmaking.co.nz

Borlase Smart John Wells Trust, (Porthmeor Studios)– www.bsjwtrust.co.uk

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